Lionel Messi Fined $1.5K for Red Card vs. Chile in Copa America 3rd-Place Match

Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi received a $1,500 fine and will be suspended for one match for his sending-off in the third-place game of the 2019 Copa America, according to Argentine football journalist Sam Kelly.

Messi received a red card in the 37th minute after a brief incident with Gary Medel:

Kelly specified the fine and suspension are tied to the red card, with further punishment to possibly come for comments Messi made alleging officials were conspiring to help host Brazil win the tournament.

"There is no doubt, the whole thing is set up for Brazil," he said, per Goal's Daniel Edwards. "... I did not want to be part of this corruption; we shouldn't have to be part of this disrespect we suffered during the Copa America.

"We could have gone further, but we weren't allowed into the final. Corruption, referees and all the rest stopped people from enjoying the football."

Argentina played Brazil in the semifinals and lost 2-0. Following the defeat, Messi said La Albiceleste should've had two penalty kicks for fouls on Nicolas Otamendi and Sergio Aguero and questioned why the match referee didn't use video review.

A one-match ban for international play isn't a surprising outcome for Messi's red card, and a $1,500 fine qualifies as even less than a slap on the wrist. In June, Forbes listed Messi as the world's highest-paid athlete, calculating he had $127 million in total earnings in the last year.

Should it make a ruling regarding his post-match comments, CONMEBOL might come down a bit harder on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner for questioning the legitimacy of this year's Copa America.